Multiple application modules (MAMs) for monitoring signals in components in wireless distribution systems, including distributed antenna systems (DASs), and related systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Multiple application modules (MAMs) for monitoring of signals in components in wireless distribution systems (WDSs), including but not limited to distributed antenna systems (DASs) are disclosed. The MAMs are wireless telecommunication circuitry associated with wireless distribution components in a WDS, such as communications and power components as examples. By associating MAMs into components of a WDS, live signals in the WDS can be monitored and measured for monitoring the performance of components within the WDS. The MAMs include a multiple application software platform architecture that includes one or more application layer applications configured to receive and monitor signals in the WDS, and to provide application level information about such monitored signals to other systems or technicians. The application level information can be used by a technician or other system to diagnose or calibrate the WDS and/or the communications components provided therein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/332,552, filed Oct. 24, 2016, which is a continuation ofInternational Application No. PCT/US2015/032397, filed on May 26, 2015,which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/003,761, filed on May 28, 2014, thecontent of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND

The technology of the present disclosure relates generally to multipleapplication modules (MAMs) for monitoring of signals in components ofwireless distribution systems (WDSs), including distributed antennasystems (DASs). The wireless distribution systems supports distributingcommunications services to remote units, and particularly to MAMsincluded in components of the WDSs for monitoring and/or measuringspectrum information (e.g., signals) within the WDS.

Wireless communication is rapidly growing, with ever-increasing demandsfor high-speed mobile data communication. As an example, local areawireless services (e.g., so-called “wireless fidelity” or “WiFi”systems) and wide area wireless services are being deployed in manydifferent types of areas (e.g., coffee shops, airports, libraries,etc.). WDSs communicate with wireless devices called “clients,” “clientdevices,” or “wireless client devices,” which reside within the wirelessrange or “cell coverage area” in order to communicate with an accesspoint device. One example of a WDS is a DAS. DASs are particularlyuseful to be deployed inside buildings or other indoor environmentswhere client devices may not otherwise be able to effectively receiveradio-frequency (RF) signals from a source, such as a base station forexample. Example applications where distributed antenna systems can beused to provide or enhance coverage for wireless services include publicsafety, cellular telephony, wireless local access networks (LANs),location tracking, and medical telemetry inside buildings and overcampuses.

One approach to deploying a DAS involves the use of RF antenna coverageareas, also referred to as “antenna coverage areas.” Antenna coverageareas can be formed by remotely distributed antenna units, also referredto as remote units (RUs). The remote units each contain or areconfigured to couple to one or more antennas configured to support thedesired frequency(ies) or polarization to provide the antenna coverageareas. Antenna coverage areas can have a radius in the range from a fewmeters up to twenty meters as an example. Combining a number of remoteunits creates an array of antenna coverage areas. Because the antennacoverage areas each cover small areas, there typically may be only a fewusers (clients) per antenna coverage area. This arrangement generates auniform high quality signal enabling high throughput supporting therequired capacity for the wireless system users.

As an example, FIG. 1 illustrates an example of distribution ofcommunications services in a WDS. FIG. 1 illustrates distribution ofcommunications services to coverage areas 10(1)-10(N) of a DAS 12,wherein ‘N’ is the number of coverage areas. These communicationsservices can include cellular services, wireless services such as RFIDtracking, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), local area network (LAN), WLAN, andcombinations thereof, as examples. The coverage areas 10(1)-10(N) may beremotely located. In this regard, the remote coverage areas 10(1)-10(N)are created by and centered on remote antenna units 14(1)-14(N)connected to a central unit 16 (e.g., a head-end controller or head-endunit). The central unit 16 may be communicatively coupled to a basestation 18. In this regard, the central unit 16 receives downlinkcommunications signals 20D from the base station 18 to be distributed tothe remote antenna units 14(1)-14(N). The remote antenna units14(1)-14(N) are configured to receive downlink communications signals20D from the central unit 16 over a communications medium 22 to bedistributed to the respective coverage areas 10(1)-10(N) of the remoteantenna units 14(1)-14(N). Each remote antenna unit 14(1)-14(N) mayinclude an RF transmitter/receiver (not shown) and a respective antenna24(1)-24(N) operably connected to the RF transmitter/receiver towirelessly distribute the communications services to client devices 26within their respective coverage areas 10(1)-10(N). The remote antennaunits 14(1)-14(N) are also configured to receive uplink communicationssignals 20U from the client devices 26 in their respective coverageareas 10(1)-10(N) to be distributed to the base station 18. The size ofa given coverage area 10(1)-10(N) is determined by the amount of RFpower transmitted by the respective remote antenna unit 14(1)-14(N), thereceiver sensitivity, antenna gain and the RF environment, as well as bythe RF transmitter/receiver sensitivity of the client device 26. Clientdevices 26 usually have a fixed RF receiver sensitivity, so that theabove-mentioned properties of the remote antenna units 14(1)-14(N)mainly determine the size of their respective remote coverage areas10(1)-10(N).

In the DAS 12 in FIG. 1, after installation and commissioning, a sitewalk is typically performed to analyze the data quality for optimizationof the coverage areas 10(1)-10(N) created by the remote antenna units14(1)-14(N). The site walk may involve activating the DAS 12 for thecentral unit 16 to receive the downlink communications signals 20D fromthe base station 18 for distribution to the remote antenna units14(1)-14(N). Then, a service technician walks around the differentcoverage areas 10(1)-10(N) with a wireless communication device, such asa mobile phone or laptop computer, to receive the distributed downlinkcommunications signals 20D from the remote antenna units 14(1)-14(N).The received downlink communications signals 20D can be reviewed andanalyzed by personnel conducting the site walk to determine the qualityof the coverage areas 10(1)-10(N), such as signal strength as anexample. The DAS 12 may also be configured to generate alarms indicativeof signal quality. Any quality issues in the DAS 12 can be identifiedand resolved. However, the context of the received downlinkcommunications signals 20D is not known. For example, it is not knownwhich received downlink communications signals 20D and/or how manycommunications bands are being distributed in the DAS 12.

No admission is made that any reference cited herein constitutes priorart. Applicant expressly reserves the right to challenge the accuracyand pertinency of any cited documents.

SUMMARY

Embodiments disclosed herein include multiple application modules (MAMs)for monitoring of signals in components in wireless distribution systems(WDSs), including but not limited to distributed antenna systems (DASs).Related systems and methods are also disclosed. The MAMs are wirelesstelecommunication circuitry associated with wireless distributioncomponents in a WDS, such as communications and power components asexamples. By associating the MAMs into components of a WDS, live signalsin the WDS can be monitored and measured for monitoring the performanceof components within the WDS. The MAMs include a multiple applicationsoftware platform architecture that includes one or more applicationlevel applications configured to receive and monitor signals in the WDS,and to provide application level information about such monitoredsignals to other components or systems, or technicians. The applicationlevel information can be used by a technician or other system todiagnose or calibrate the WDS and/or the communications componentsprovided therein.

In one embodiment, the MAMs are configured to receive signals, includingcommunications signals, distributed in the WDS like client devices. TheMAMs are configured to transmit communications signals within the WDS,like client devices, to other recipients, including technician orservice personnel communications devices to provide the applicationlevel information about monitored signals. The MAMs can also beconfigured to act as an access point for transmitting application levelinformation to other MAMs or other components in the WDS. Also, becausethe MAMs have the functionality of client devices, the MAMs may also beconfigured to receive calls or other communications from another systemthrough the WDS to retrieve the application level information from theMAMs. Further, because the application layer applications in the MAMsmay be open architecture applications, customers or technicians may beable to load their own applications in the MAMs, including customizedapplications, for monitoring signals in their WDS and providingapplication level information.

One embodiment of the disclosure relates to a wireless distributionsystem (WDS). The WDS comprises a central unit. The central unit isconfigured to receive a downlink communications signal from acommunications system. The central unit is also configured to distributethe downlink communications signal over at least one downlinkcommunications medium to a plurality of remote units. The central unitis also configured to receive an uplink communications signal from theplurality of remote units over at least one uplink communicationsmedium. The central unit is also configured to distribute the uplinkcommunications signal to the communications system. Each remote unitamong the plurality of remote units is configured to receive thedownlink communications signal from the central unit over the at leastone downlink communications medium. Each remote unit among the pluralityof remote units is also configured to distribute the downlinkcommunications signal to a client device. Each remote unit among theplurality of remote units is also configured to receive the uplinkcommunications signal from the client device. The plurality of remoteunits are also each configured to distribute the uplink communicationssignal to the central unit over the at least one uplink communicationsmedium. The WDS also comprises at least one multiple application module(MAM) associated with at least one of the central unit and at least oneof the remote units among the plurality of remote units. The MAMcomprises at least one processor. The at least one processor isconfigured to execute at least one application layer application toanalyze the at least one of the downlink communications signal and theuplink communications signal. The at least one MAM is also configured toreceive at least one of the downlink communications signal and theuplink communications signal, and communicate application levelinformation regarding the analyzed at least one of the downlinkcommunications signal and the uplink communications signal to anothersystem.

Another embodiment of the disclosure relates to a method of monitoringsignals in a wireless distribution system. The method comprisesreceiving a downlink communications signal from a communications systemin a central unit. The method also comprises distributing the downlinkcommunications signal over at least one downlink communications mediumto a plurality of remote units. The method also comprises receiving anuplink communications signal from the plurality of remote units over atleast one uplink communications medium in the central unit. The methodalso comprises distributing the received downlink communications signalin each remote unit among the plurality of remote units to a clientdevice. The method also comprises receiving the uplink communicationssignal in each remote unit among the plurality of remote units from theclient device. The method also comprises distributing the receiveduplink communications signal in each remote unit among the plurality ofremote units to the central unit. The method also comprises executing atleast one application layer application in at least one processor in atleast one MAM associated with at least one of the central unit and atleast one of the remote units among the plurality of remote units toanalyze the at least one of the downlink communications signal and theuplink communications signal. The method also comprises communicatingapplication level information regarding the analyzed at least one of thedownlink communications signal and the uplink communications signal toanother system

Another embodiment of the disclosure relates to a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having stored thereon computer executableinstructions to cause a processor-based multiple application module(MAM) to: receive a downlink communications signal from a communicationssystem in a central unit, distribute the downlink communications signalover at least one downlink communications medium to a plurality ofremote units, receive an uplink communications signal from the pluralityof remote units over at least one uplink communications medium in thecentral unit, distribute the received downlink communications signal ineach remote unit among the plurality of remote units to a client device,receive the uplink communications signal in each remote unit among theplurality of remote units from the client device, distribute thereceived uplink communications signal in each remote unit among theplurality of remote units to the central unit, execute at least oneapplication layer application in at least one processor in at least oneMAM associated with at least one of the central unit and at least one ofthe remote units among the plurality of remote units to analyze the atleast one of the downlink communications signal and the uplinkcommunications signal, and communicate application level informationregarding the analyzed at least one of the downlink communicationssignal and the uplink communications signal to another system.

Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detaileddescription which follows, and in part, will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art from the description or recognized bypracticing the embodiments as described in the written description andclaims hereof, as well as the appended drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are merely exemplary, and areintended to provide an overview or framework to understand the natureand character of the claims.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of thisspecification. The drawings illustrate one or more embodiment(s), andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles andoperation of the various embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless distributionsystem (WDS) in the form of a distributed antenna system (DAS) capableof distributing radio frequency (RF) communications services to clientdevices;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary multiple applicationmodule (MAM) that can be associated with one or more components of a DASWDS to monitor live signals in the WDS, create application levelinformation about the monitored signals, and communicate the applicationlevel information to other systems;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating an exemplary opticalfiber-based DAS that includes components in which the MAM in FIG. 2 canbe included;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of exemplary DAS components of a DAS inwhich the MAM in FIG. 2 can be associated to monitor live signals in theWDS, create application level information about the monitored signals,and communicate the application level information to other systems;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary internal componentsof the MAM in FIG. 2 to monitor signals in a component of a WDM;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process of a MAM tomonitor live signals in the WDS, create application level informationabout the monitored signals, and communicate the application levelinformation to other systems;

FIG. 7 is schematic diagram of a MAM wirelessly communicatingapplication level information about monitored signals to other portabledevices;

FIG. 8 is a partially schematic cut-away diagram of an exemplarybuilding infrastructure in which a DAS including one or more componentsassociated with MAMs can be employed; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a generalized representation of anexemplary computer system that can be included in a MAM provided in theWDS, wherein the exemplary computer system is adapted to executeinstructions from an exemplary computer readable medium.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be further clarified by the following examples.

Embodiments disclosed herein include multiple application modules (MAMs)for monitoring of signals in components in wireless distribution systems(WDSs), including but not limited to distributed antenna systems (DASs).Related systems and methods are also disclosed. The MAMs are wirelesstelecommunication circuitry associated with wireless distributioncomponents in a WDS, such as communications and power components asexamples. By associating the MAMs with one or more components of a WDS,live signals in the WDS can be monitored and measured for monitoring theperformance of components within the WDS. The MAMs include a multipleapplication software platform architecture that includes one or moreapplication layer applications configured to receive and monitor signalsin the WDS, and to provide application level information about suchmonitored signals to other components or systems, or technicians. Theapplication level information can be used by a technician or othersystem to diagnose or calibrate the WDS and/or the communicationscomponents provided therein.

In this regard, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary MAM 30. Aswill be discussed in more detail below, the MAM 30 can be associatedwith one or more components of a WDS as a client device to monitor livesignals (e.g., component power, RF power or communications signals) inthe WDS and create application level information (e.g., applicationlevel data) about the monitored signals. The MAM 30 is configured withone or more application layer applications 32, such as provided in anapplication layer 34 of an OSI model, as a non-limiting example. In thisexample, an application layer application 32 is configured to retrieveinformation about monitored signals in a WDS from lower layers 36 in theMAM 30 to generate application level information 38 about the monitoredsignals. Context information can be included in the application levelinformation 38 about the monitored signals for additional informationthat requires application level processing, as opposed to lower layersignal monitoring that may not include context information.

For example, the MAM 30 may include one or more sensors 40(1)-40(P) thatcan be employed to sense information about monitored signals in a WDSthat is provided to software application layer application 32 (alsoreferred to herein as “application layer application 32”) in theapplication layer 34 of the MAM 30 to generate application levelinformation 38 about the monitored signals. For example, one of thesensors 40 may be a power level detector configured to determine a powerlevel (e.g., a RF power level) of a monitored signal, wherein theapplication level information 38 relates to power level of the monitoredsignals. As an example, the application level information 38 may includea history of power level information for the monitored signal, asopposed to just a physical level power level, for additional contextinformation. Thus, the power level information in the application levelinformation 38 may be more useful in calibrating gain levels in the WDSthan just one power level about the monitored signal. The applicationlayer application 32 in the MAM 30 can then communicate this applicationlevel information 38 through a communications interface to other systemsfor use in diagnosing and/or calibrating a WDS. Further, because theapplication layer applications 32 in the MAM 30 may be open architectureapplications, customers or technicians may be able to load their ownapplication layer applications in the MAM 30, including customizedapplications, for monitoring signals in their WDS and providingapplication level information 38, and/or forming an application network.

In this regard, with continuing reference to FIG. 2, the MAM 30 in thisembodiment includes a number of communications interfaces 42(1)-42(N)that can communicate the application level information 38 to othersystems. For example, the communications interfaces 42 can include acellular modem 42(1), WiFi interface 42(2), and Bluetooth module 42(3),as shown in FIG. 2. As will be described in more detail below, the MAM30 will be incorporated into a WDS component as a client device that iscapable of receiving communications distributed through the DAS, such ascellular communications signals through the cellular modem 42(1) andWiFi signals through the WiFi interface 42(2). Because, the MAM 30appears as a client device in the WDS, the MAM 30 can also transmitcommunications signals through a communications interface 42 within aWDS like client devices, or outside the WDS, to other recipients,including technician or service personnel communications devices toprovide the application level information 38 about monitored signals.The Bluetooth module 42(3) in this example allows for localcommunications to the MAM 30 to retrieve application level information38 outside of the WDS, if desired. Also, because the MAM 30 has thefunctionality of a client device in the WDS, the MAM 30 may also beconfigured to receive calls or other communications from another systemthrough the WDS to retrieve the application level information 38 fromthe MAM 30. In this regard, the application layer applications 32 in theMAM 30 may facilitate the MAM 30 to initiate providing application levelinformation 38 to other systems without being requested, such as due toalarm conditions or other criteria or thresholds being exceeded.

The MAM 30 may also have other components that are useful in monitoringsignals in a WDS. For example, the MAM 30 may include a globalpositioning module (GPS) 44 that can allow the MAM 30 to determine itslocation and communicate this location in conjunction with applicationlevel information 38. The MAM 30 may also include an audio component 46,such as to allow the MAM 30 to respond to voice commands or provideapplication level information 38 about monitored signals audially, asexamples.

Because the MAM 30 provides application layer application 32 forproviding application level information 38 about monitored signals, lesscost and faster development times may be realized since changes to theapplication layer applications can be made in software rather thanthrough hardware updates. The MAM 30 allows uploads for new applicationlayer applications 32 to be provided in the application layer 34 orupdates to existing application layer applications 32 in the applicationlayer 34. Also, by allowing for application layer applications 32 in theMAM 30, outsider developers, including individual developers, candevelop third party software applications for the MAM 30 for furtheravailability to WDS application layer applications for cost effectivedevelopment.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of another exemplary optical fiber-baseddistributed antenna system (DAS) 50 as an example of a WDS that mayinclude MAMs 30 for monitoring of signals. In this embodiment, theoptical fiber-based DAS 50 includes optical fiber for distributing RFcommunication services. The optical fiber-based DAS 50 in thisembodiment is comprised of three (3) main components. One or more radiointerfaces provided in the form of radio interface modules (RIMs)52(1)-52(M) in this embodiment are provided in head end equipment (HEE)54 to receive and process downlink electrical RF communications signals56D(1)-56D(R) from one or more base stations 57(1)-57(T) (FIG. 3B) priorto optical conversion into downlink optical RF communications signals.The RIMs 52(1)-52(M) provide both downlink and uplink interfaces. Thenotations “1-R” and “1-M” indicate that any number of the referencedcomponent, 1-R and 1-M, respectively, may be provided. MAMs 30 can beincluded in the RIMs 52(1)-52(M) or provided in the same location,housing, or packaging as the RIMs 52(1)-52(M), to monitor the downlinkelectrical RF communications signals 56D(1)-56D(R) prior to opticalconversion into downlink optical RF communications signals. As will bedescribed in more detail below, the HEE 54 is configured to accept aplurality of RIMs 52(1)-52(M) as modular components that can easily beinstalled and removed or replaced in the HEE 54. In one embodiment, theHEE 54 is configured to support up to eight (8) RIMs 52(1)-52(8).

Each RIM 52(1)-52(M) can be designed to support a particular type ofradio source or range of radio sources (i.e., frequencies) to provideflexibility in configuring the HEE 54 and the optical fiber-based DAS 50to support the desired radio sources. For example, one RIM 52 may beconfigured to support the Personal Communication Services (PCS) radioband. Another RIM 52 may be configured to support the 700 MHz radioband. In this example, by inclusion of these RIMs 52, the HEE 54 wouldbe configured to support and distribute RF communications signals onboth PCS and LTE 700 radio bands. RIMs 52 may be provided in the HEE 54that support any frequency bands desired, including but not limited tothe US Cellular band, Personal Communication Services (PCS) band,Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) band, 700 MHz band, Global System forMobile communications (GSM) 900, GSM 1800, and Universal MobileTelecommunication System (UMTS). RIMs 52 may be provided in the HEE 54that support any wireless technologies desired, including but notlimited to Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), CDMA200, 1×RTT,Evolution-Data Only (EV-DO), UMTS, High-speed Packet Access (HSPA), GSM,General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment(EDGE), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE),iDEN, and Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD).

RIMs 52 may be provided in the HEE 54 that support any frequenciesdesired, including but not limited to US FCC and Industry Canadafrequencies (824-849 MHz on uplink and 869-894 MHz on downlink), US FCCand Industry Canada frequencies (1850-1915 MHz on uplink and 1930-1995MHz on downlink), US FCC and Industry Canada frequencies (1710-1755 MHzon uplink and 2110-2155 MHz on downlink), US FCC frequencies (698-716MHz and 776-787 MHz on uplink and 728-746 MHz on downlink), EU R & TTEfrequencies (880-915 MHz on uplink and 925-960 MHz on downlink), EU R &TTE frequencies (1710-1785 MHz on uplink and 1805-1880 MHz on downlink),EU R & TTE frequencies (1920-1980 MHz on uplink and 2110-2170 MHz ondownlink), US FCC frequencies (806-824 MHz on uplink and 851-869 MHz ondownlink), US FCC frequencies (896-901 MHz on uplink and 929-941 MHz ondownlink), US FCC frequencies (793-805 MHz on uplink and 763-775 MHz ondownlink), and US FCC frequencies (2495-2690 MHz on uplink anddownlink).

The downlink electrical RF communications signals 56D(1)-56D(R) areprovided to a plurality of optical interfaces provided in the form ofoptical interface modules (OIMs) 58(1)-58(N) in this embodiment toconvert the downlink electrical RF communications signals 56D(1)-56D(N)into downlink optical RF communications signals 60D(1)-60D(R). MAMs 30can also be included in the OIMs 58(1)-58(N), or provided in the samelocation, housing, or packaging as the OIMs 58(1)-58(N), to monitor thedownlink electrical RF communications signals 56D(1)-56D(R) prior tooptical conversion into downlink optical RF communications signals60D(1)-60D(R). The notation “1-N” indicates that any number of thereferenced component 1-N may be provided. The OIMs 58 may be configuredto provide one or more optical interface components (OICs) that containO/E and E/O converters, as will be described in more detail below. TheOIMs 58 support the radio bands that can be provided by the RIMs 52,including the examples previously described above. Thus, in thisembodiment, the OIMs 58 may support a radio band range from 400 MHz to2700 MHz, as an example, so providing different types or models of OIMs58 for narrower radio bands to support possibilities for different radioband-supported RIMs 52 provided in the HEE 54 is not required. Further,as an example, the OIMs 58 may be optimized for sub-bands within the 400MHz to 2700 MHz frequency range, such as 400-700 MHz, 700 MHz-1 GHz, 1GHz-1.6 GHz, and 1.6 GHz-2.7 GHz, as examples.

The OIMs 58(1)-58(N) each include E/O converters to convert the downlinkelectrical RF communications signals 56D(1)-56D(R) to downlink opticalRF communications signals 60D(1)-60D(R). The downlink optical RFcommunications signals 60D(1)-60D(R) are communicated over downlinkoptical fiber(s) 63D(1) to a plurality of remote antenna units (RAUs)62(1)-62(P). The notation “1-P” indicates that any number of thereferenced component 1-P may be provided. O/E converters provided in theRAUs 62(1)-62(P) convert the downlink optical RF communications signals60D(1)-60D(R) back into downlink electrical RF communications signals56D(1)-56D(R), which are provided over downlinks 64(1)-64(P) coupled toantennas 66(1)-66(P) in the RAUs 62(1)-62(P) to client devices 26 in thereception range of the antennas 66(1)-66(P). MAMs 30 can also beincluded in the RAUs 62(1)-62(P), or provided in the same location,housing, or packaging as the RAUs 62(1)-62(P), to monitor the downlinkelectrical RF communications signals 56D(1)-56D(R).

E/O converters are also provided in the RAUs 62(1)-62(P) to convertuplink electrical RF communications signals received from client devices26 through the antennas 66(1)-66(P) into uplink optical RFcommunications signals 68U(1)-68U(R) to be communicated over uplinkoptical fibers 63U to the OIMs 58(1)-58(N). The MAMs 30 associated withthe RAUs 62(1)-62(P) can also monitor the uplink electrical RFcommunications signals 56U(1)-56U(R). The OIMs 58(1)-58(N) include O/Econverters that convert the uplink optical RF communications signals68U(1)-68U(R) into uplink electrical RF communications signals70U(1)-70U(R) that are processed by the RIMs 52(1)-52(M) and provided asuplink electrical RF communications signals 72U(1)-72U(R). Downlinkelectrical digital signals 73D(1)-73D(P), such as Ethernet signals,communicated over downlink electrical medium or media (hereinafter“medium”) 75D(1)-75D(P) can be provided to the RAUs 62(1)-62(P), such asfrom a digital data services (DDS) controller and/or DDS switch asprovided by example in FIG. 3B, separately from the RF communicationservices, as well as uplink electrical digital signals 73U(1)-73U(P)communicated over uplink electrical medium 75U(1)-75U(P), as alsoillustrated in FIG. 3B. MAMs 30 associated with the OIMs 58(1)-58(N)and/or the RIMs 52(1)-52(M) can also monitor the uplink electrical RFcommunications signals 70U(1)-70U(R). Common elements between FIGS. 3Aand 3B are illustrated in FIG. 3B with common element numbers. Power maybe provided in the downlink and/or uplink electrical medium75D(1)-75D(P) and/or 75U(1)-75U(P) to the RAUs 62(1)-62(P).

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of providing digital data services and RFcommunication services to RAUs and/or other remote communications unitsin the optical fiber-based DAS 50 of FIG. 3A. Common components betweenFIGS. 3A and 3B have the same element numbers and thus will not bere-described. As illustrated in FIG. 3B, a power supply module (PSM) 83may be provided to provide power to the RIMs 52(1)-52(M) and radiodistribution cards (RDCs) 77 that distribute the RF communications fromthe RIMs 52(1)-52(M) to the OIMs 58(1)-58(N) through RDCs 79. In oneembodiment, the RDCs 77, 79 can support different sectorization needs. APSM 85 may also be provided to provide power the OIMs 58(1)-58(N). Aninterface 81, which may include web and network management system (NMS)interfaces, may also be provided to allow configuration andcommunication to the RIMs 52(1)-52(M) and other components of theoptical fiber-based DAS 50. A microcontroller, microprocessor, or othercontrol circuitry, called a head-end controller (HEC) 87 may be includedin HEE 54 to provide control operations for the HEE 54. The MAMs 30 mayalso be incorporated into or associated with one or more interconnectunits (ICUs) 86, as shown in FIG. 3B, to monitor power signals as theICUs 86 provide power signals to the RAUs 62(1)-62(P) or routeinformation about other monitored signals to other components or otherMAMs 30 in the DAS 50.

FIG. 4 is another schematic diagram of exemplary DAS components of theDAS 50 in which the MAM 30 in FIG. 2 can be associated with to monitorlive signals in the WDS, create application level information about themonitored signals, and communicate the application level information toother systems. The MAM 30 can communicate application layer data 38 asclient devices in the DAS 50 to other devices outside the DAS 50, or toother MAMs 30 in other components in the DAS 50. The MAM 30 may alsoserve as a network device, such as an access point, to collect monitoredsignal information, including application level information, from otherMAMs 30 and/or components in the DAS 50, which can be passed along toother components or systems.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary internal componentsof the MAM 30 in FIG. 2 to monitor signals in a component of a WDS,including but not limited to the DAS 50 in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Asillustrated in FIG. 5, the MAM 30 includes a series of wireless serviceprocessors 90(1)-90(X) that are configured to receive wirelesscommunications signals over respective antennas 92(1)-92(X). Thewireless service processors 90(1)-90(X) facilitate the MAM 30communicating application level information 38 received through acommunications interface 94 wirelessly in a WDS, as another clientdevice. The wireless service processors 90(1)-90(X) also facilitate theMAM 30 being able to communicate application level information 38 wiredor wirelessly to other systems outside the WDS, if desired.

With continuing reference to FIG. 5, the MAM 30 includes aprocessor-based system 96 that may include multiple processors or amulti-core processor 98, as examples, (hereinafter “processor 98”) wherethe application layer applications 32 reside and are executed. Asdiscussed above, the application layer applications 32 monitor signalsin a WDS and provide the application level information 38 regarding suchmonitored signals over the communications interface 94 to other systems,within and/or outside of a WDS. The application layer applications 32are stored in internal memory 100. The application level information 38can also be stored by the processor 98 in the internal memory 100. Theprocessor-based system 96 includes a power management module 102 tomanage power consumption in the processor-based system 96, such as toachieve the desired performance levels. The MAM 30 also includes one ormore physical communications ports 104(1)-104(Y) to allow wiredcommunications to be provided to and from the MAM 30, if desired. Forexample, a technician may connect a wired communication device to one ofthe physical communications ports 104 to retrieve application levelinformation 38 or load or update application layer applications 32. TheMAM 30 may also include one or more external memory interfaces106(1)-106(Z), such as memory card ports, USB ports, etc. for storingdata from internal memory 100, including application level information38. The MAM 30 may also include one or more peripheral interface ports108(1)-108(A) for connecting other peripheral devices to the MAM 30.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process of a MAM 30monitoring live signals in the WDS, creating application levelinformation about the monitored signals, and communicating theapplication level information to other systems. This process can beperformed according to an application layer application 32 executing inthe processor 98 of the MAM 30. In this regard, the process starts(block 110). External or internal events related to monitoring ofsignals in a WDS or request for the application level information 38 forMAM 30 will occur (block 112). If the MAM 30 determines that theseevents are not related (block 114), the MAM 30 does not respond to suchevents (block 116) and the process ends (block 118). If the eventdetected by the MAM 30 is related to monitoring of signals or requeststo communicate the application level information 38 to other systems inthe MAM 30 (block 114), the MAM 30 communications to or within the WDSvia wired or wireless communications related to the detected event(block 120). The application layer application 32 on the MAM 30 istriggered by the internal or external event, or a combination thereof(block 122). The triggered application layer application 32 may executewith the MAM 30 and/or external to the MAM 30 depending on resourceavailability in the MAM 30 (block 124). If there are not sufficientprocessing resources available in the MAM 30 (block 126), the MAM 30determines if there are external resources available (block 128). Ifnot, the MAM 30 waits until resources are available to process the event(block 130). Once resources are available, the application layerapplication 32 is executed using the external resources to process theevent relating to monitoring of signals in a WDS (block 132). Theapplication level information 38 generated by the application layerapplication 32 executing based on signal monitoring can be communicateddirectly to a user from the MAM 30 or in a consolidated form with otherapplication level information 38 stored in internal memory 100 usingwired or wireless communications (block 134), and the process ends(block 118). For example, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a MAM 30wirelessly, or through wired communication, communicating applicationlevel information 38 about monitored signals to other portable devices140(1)-140(3). With reference back to FIG. 6, if internal resources wereavailable in the MAM 30 to process the signal monitoring event (block126), and external resources are not needed (block 136), the MAM 30 cansimply execute the application layer application 32 to process themonitored signals to generate the application level information 38(block 138).

The DAS 50 in FIGS. 3A and 3B may also be provided in an indoorenvironment, as illustrated in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a partially schematiccut-away diagram of a building infrastructure 142 employing the DAS 50described herein. The building infrastructure 142 in this embodimentincludes a first (ground) floor 144(1), a second floor 144(2), and athird floor 144(3). The floors 144(1)-144(3) are serviced by the centralunit 146 to provide the antenna coverage areas 148 in the buildinginfrastructure 142. The central unit 146 is communicatively coupled tothe base station 150 to receive downlink communications signals 56D fromthe base station 150. The central unit 146 is communicatively coupled tothe remote antenna units 132 to receive the uplink communicationssignals 56U from the remote antenna units 62, as previously discussedabove. The downlink and uplink communications signals 56D, 56Ucommunicated between the central unit 146 and the remote antenna units62 are carried over a riser cable 152. The riser cable 152 may be routedthrough interconnect units (ICUs) 86(1)-86(3) dedicated to each floor144(1)-144(3) that route the downlink and uplink communications signals56D, 56U to the remote antenna units 62 and also provide power to theremote antenna units 62 via array cables 154.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram representation of additional detailillustrating a computer system 160 that could be employed in any MAM 30disclosed herein. The computer system 160 is adapted to executeinstructions for an application layer application 32 from an exemplarycomputer-readable medium to perform these and/or any of the functions orprocessing described herein. In this regard, the computer system 160 inFIG. 9 may include a set of instructions that may be executed tocalculate gain of DAS segment in a DAS. The computer system 160 may beconnected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a LAN, an intranet, anextranet, or the Internet. While only a single device is illustrated,the term “device” shall also be taken to include any collection ofdevices that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussedherein. The computer system 160 may be a circuit or circuits included inan electronic board card, such as, a printed circuit board (PCB), aserver, a personal computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a computing pad, a mobile device, orany other device, and may represent, for example, a server or a user'scomputer.

The exemplary computer system 160 in this embodiment includes aprocessing device or processor 162, a main memory 164 (e.g., read-onlymemory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), such assynchronous DRAM (SDRAM), etc.), and a static memory 166 (e.g., flashmemory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), which may communicatewith each other via a data bus 168. Alternatively, the processor 162 maybe connected to the main memory 164 and/or static memory 166 directly orvia some other connectivity means. The processor 162 may be acontroller, and the main memory 164 or static memory 166 may be any typeof memory. Application level information 38 may be stored in staticmemory 166.

The processor 162 represents one or more general-purpose processingdevices, such as a microprocessor, central processing unit, or the like.The processor 162 may be the processor 98 in the MAM 30 in FIG. 5. Moreparticularly, the processor 162 may be a complex instruction setcomputing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing(RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW)microprocessor, a processor implementing other instruction sets, orother processors implementing a combination of instruction sets. Theprocessor 162 is configured to execute processing logic in instructionsfor performing the operations and steps discussed herein.

The computer system 160 may further include a network interface device170. The computer system 160 also may or may not include an input 172,configured to receive input and selections to be communicated to thecomputer system 160 when executing instructions. The computer system 160also may or may not include an output 174, including but not limited toa display, a video display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) ora cathode ray tube (CRT)), an alphanumeric input device (e.g., akeyboard), and/or a cursor control device (e.g., a mouse).

The computer system 160 may or may not include a data storage devicethat includes instructions 178 stored in a computer-readable medium 180.The instructions 178 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 164 and/or within the processor 162 duringexecution thereof by the computer system 160, the main memory 164 andthe processor 162 also constituting computer-readable medium. Theinstructions 178 may further be transmitted or received over a network182 via the network interface device 170.

While the computer-readable medium 180 is shown in an exemplaryembodiment to be a single medium, the term “computer-readable medium”should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any mediumthat is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructionsfor execution by the processing device and that cause the processingdevice to perform any one or more of the methodologies of theembodiments disclosed herein. The term “computer-readable medium” shallaccordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-statememories, optical medium, and magnetic medium.

The embodiments disclosed herein include various steps. The steps of theembodiments disclosed herein may be formed by hardware components or maybe embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used tocause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with theinstructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, the steps may beperformed by a combination of hardware and software.

The embodiments disclosed herein may be provided as a computer programproduct, or software, that may include a machine-readable medium (orcomputer-readable medium) having stored thereon instructions, which maybe used to program a computer system (or other electronic devices) toperform a process according to the embodiments disclosed herein. Amachine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing ortransmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., acomputer). For example, a machine-readable medium includes: amachine-readable storage medium (e.g., ROM, random access memory(“RAM”), a magnetic disk storage medium, an optical storage medium,flash memory devices, etc.); and the like.

Unless specifically stated otherwise and as apparent from the previousdiscussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description,discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,”“determining,” “displaying,” or the like, refer to the action andprocesses of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device,that manipulates and transforms data and memories represented asphysical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registersinto other data similarly represented as physical quantities within thecomputer system memories or registers or other such information storage,transmission, or display devices.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various systems may beused with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it mayprove convenient to construct more specialized apparatuses to performthe required method steps. The required structure for a variety of thesesystems will appear from the description above. In addition, theembodiments described herein are not described with reference to anyparticular programming language. It will be appreciated that a varietyof programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of theembodiments as described herein.

Those of skill in the art will further appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithms describedin connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implementedas electronic hardware, instructions stored in memory or in anothercomputer-readable medium and executed by a processor or other processingdevice, or combinations of both. The components of the distributedantenna systems described herein may be employed in any circuit,hardware component, integrated circuit (IC), or IC chip, as examples.Memory disclosed herein may be any type and size of memory and may beconfigured to store any type of information desired. To clearlyillustrate this interchangeability, various illustrative components,blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generallyin terms of their functionality. How such functionality is implementeddepends on the particular application, design choices, and/or designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentembodiments.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implementedor performed with a processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), anApplication Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field ProgrammableGate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, a discrete gateor transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Furthermore,a controller may be a processor. A processor may be a microprocessor,but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration).

The embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in hardware and ininstructions that are stored in hardware, and may reside, for example,in RAM, flash memory, ROM, Electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM),Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk,a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of computer-readablemedium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to theprocessor such that the processor can read information from, and writeinformation to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storagemedium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storagemedium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a remote station.In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside asdiscrete components in a remote station, base station, or server.

It is also noted that the operational steps described in any of theexemplary embodiments herein are described to provide examples anddiscussion. The operations described may be performed in numerousdifferent sequences other than the illustrated sequences. Furthermore,operations described in a single operational step may actually beperformed in a number of different steps. Additionally, one or moreoperational steps discussed in the exemplary embodiments may becombined. Those of skill in the art will also understand thatinformation and signals may be represented using any of a variety oftechnologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands,information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips, that may be referencesthroughout the above description, may be represented by voltages,currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields, or particles, opticalfields or particles, or any combination thereof.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that anymethod set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps beperformed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim doesnot actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is nototherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that thesteps are to be limited to a specific order, it is no way intended thatany particular order be inferred.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. Since modifications combinations,sub-combinations and variations of the disclosed embodimentsincorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur topersons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to includeeverything within the scope of the appended claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless distribution system (WDS), comprising:a central unit configured to: receive a downlink communications signalfrom a communications system; distribute the downlink communicationssignal over at least one optical downlink communications medium to aplurality of remote units; receive an uplink communications signal fromthe plurality of remote units over at least one optical uplinkcommunications medium; and distribute the uplink communications signalto the communications system; each remote unit among the plurality ofremote units configured to: receive the downlink communications signalfrom the central unit over the at least one optical downlinkcommunications medium; distribute the downlink communications signal toa client device; receive the uplink communications signal from theclient device; and distribute the uplink communications signal to thecentral unit over the at least one uplink communications medium; atleast one multiple application module (MAM) associated with at least oneof the central unit and at least one of the remote units among theplurality of remote units, the at least one MAM comprising an internalmemory, and at least one processor configured to execute at least oneapplication layer application to analyze the at least one of thedownlink communications signal and the uplink communications signal, theat least one MAM being configured to: receive at least one of thedownlink communications signal and the uplink communications signal;communicate application level information regarding the analyzed atleast one of the downlink communications signal and the uplinkcommunications signal to another system; store the application levelinformation in internal memory; and load a new application layerapplication into internal memory to be executed by the at least oneprocessor to analyze the at least one of the downlink communicationssignal and the uplink communications signal.
 2. The wirelessdistribution system of claim 1, wherein the at least one MAM furthercomprises at least one wireless communications interface, the at leastone MAM being further configured to wirelessly communicate theapplication level information to a wireless client device.
 3. Thewireless distribution system of claim 2, wherein the at least onewireless communications interface is comprised from the group consistingof: a cellular modem interface, a Bluetooth modem interface, and a WiFiinterface.
 4. The wireless distribution system of claim 2, wherein theat least one MAM is further configured to communicate the applicationlevel information over the at least one optical downlink communicationsmedium.
 5. The wireless distribution system of claim 2, wherein the atleast one MAM is further configured to communicate the application levelinformation over the at least one uplink communications medium.
 6. Thewireless distribution system of claim 2, wherein the at least one MAM isfurther configured to receive a downlink communications signal as aclient device.
 7. The wireless distribution system of claim 2, whereinthe communications system is comprised of a base station.
 8. Thewireless distribution system of claim 2, wherein: the at least one MAMis further configured to receive at least one power signal; the at leastone processor in the at least one MAM is further configured to executean application layer application to analyze the at least one powersignal; and the at least one MAM is further configured to communicateapplication level information regarding the analyzed at least one powersignal to another system.
 9. The wireless distribution system of claim2, wherein the at least one optical downlink communications medium andthe at least one uplink communications medium is comprised of at leastone common communications medium.
 10. The wireless distribution systemof claim 2, wherein the at least one optical downlink communicationsmedium is comprised of at least one downlink optical fiber, and the atleast one uplink communications medium is comprised of at least oneuplink optical fiber.
 11. The wireless distribution system of claim 1,comprised of a distributed antenna system (DAS) deployed over multiplefloors of a building infrastructure.
 12. The wireless distributionsystem of claim 11, wherein the communications system is comprised of abase station.
 13. A method of monitoring signals in a wirelessdistribution system, comprising: receiving a downlink communicationssignal from a communications system in a central unit; distributing thedownlink communications signal over at least one optical downlinkcommunications medium to at least one remote unit; receiving an uplinkcommunications signal from the at least one remote unit over at leastone uplink communications medium in the central unit; distributing thereceived downlink communications signal in each remote unit to a clientdevice; receiving the uplink communications signal in each remote unitfrom the client device; distributing the received uplink communicationssignal in each remote unit to the central unit; executing at least oneapplication layer application in at least one processor in at least onemultiple application module (MAM) associated with at least one of thecentral unit and the at least one of the remote unit to analyze the atleast one of the downlink communications signal and the uplinkcommunications signal; communicating application level informationregarding the analyzed at least one of the downlink communicationssignal and the uplink communications signal to another system; andstoring the application level information in internal memory.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, further comprising wirelessly communicating theapplication level information through at least one wirelesscommunication interface in the at least one MAM to a wireless clientdevice.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising wirelesslycommunicating the application level information through at least onewired communication interface in the at least one MAM to a wirelessclient device.
 16. The method of claim 14, further comprisingcommunicating the application level information over the at least oneoptical downlink communications medium.
 17. The method of claim 14,further comprising loading a new application layer application intointernal memory in the at least one MAM to be executed by the at leastone processor to analyze the at least one of the downlink communicationssignal and the uplink communications signal.
 18. A method of monitoringsignals in a wireless distribution system, comprising: receiving adownlink communications signal from a communications system in a centralunit; distributing the downlink communications signal over at least oneoptical downlink communications medium to at least one remote unit;receiving an uplink communications signal from the at least one remoteunit over at least one uplink communications medium in the central unit;distributing the received downlink communications signal in each remoteunit to a client device; receiving the uplink communications signal ineach remote unit from the client device; distributing the receiveduplink communications signal in each remote unit to the central unit;executing at least one application layer application in at least oneprocessor in at least one multiple application module (MAM) associatedwith at least one of the central unit and the at least one of the remoteunit to analyze the at least one of the downlink communications signaland the uplink communications signal; communicating application levelinformation regarding the analyzed at least one of the downlinkcommunications signal and the uplink communications signal to anothersystem; and loading a new application layer application into internalmemory in the at least one MAM to be executed by the at least oneprocessor to analyze the at least one of the downlink communicationssignal and the uplink communications signal.
 19. The method of claim 18,further comprising communicating the application level information overthe at least one optical downlink communications medium.
 20. The methodof claim 19, further comprising wirelessly communicating the applicationlevel information through at least one wireless communication interfacein the at least one MAM to a wireless client device.